


Henry's Compassion

by thefifthraven23



Category: Henry V - Shakespeare, The Hollow Crown (2012)
Genre: Anal Fingering, Dom/sub, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Headaches & Migraines, Hurt/Comfort, Medicine, Modern, Sex, Sickfic, Spanking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-31
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-02-11 04:00:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2052768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefifthraven23/pseuds/thefifthraven23
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I was thinking of the sublime actor Tom Hiddleston when I wrote this, but as much as I've come to enjoy RPF I just can't bring myself to write it. So although I wrote it as a modern Henry, think of it as a thinly-veiled Tom. Or not. Whatever floats your boat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Henry sighed as he placed his key in the lock and braced his head against the door. He had had a long week at the office and was very glad to be home. Singapore, to Mumbai, to London could do that to a man, even one as energetic as himself. Twisting the key he entered the apartment, tossed his coat over the sofa, and toed off his shoes as he walked through the foyer. Managing a large corporation, although sometimes it felt like the whole country, was stressful and he was happy to come home and relax.

Strangely though something in the place seemed off. Hmmmm… His glass filled with two fingers of whisky, neat, ice-clinking as he surveyed his domain. The large windows that let in lovely sunlight-flooded views of London showed that none of the large appliances were gone. Nothing really moved, his book was still face-down, where he’d left it a week ago; Bond was in the middle of trying to stop the world from imploding. Again.

He went from Living Room, to Kitchen, to Bedroom, sipping from his drink as he walked. Loosening his tie. Noticing nothing amiss until he ambled around his sleek, dark, dresser and saw the footprints that were definitely not his pressed into the carpet in front of his closet. He sighed, mentally girded his loins, found another book to put his drink down on, and opened the door.

Sophie’s breath wooshed out of her that moment as Henry opened the door and glared down with a look she recognized as supreme disapproval. She knew she really shouldn’t still have the key to his apartment but she couldn’t help herself, she just couldn’t bear to throw it away.

Flipping the light on, blinking a bit at the bright glare, he peered into the small room. 

“Darling”, he asked curiously, masking weariness more than irritation, “what are you doing in my closet?”

“I”, she started. Then stopped, her eyes refused to settle on his, darting about every few seconds like birds caught in a net. “I…don’t want to talk about it.”, she finally blurted after becoming a bit red in the face. Guiltily she sat slumped against his winter clothing, nice thick wool coats, scarves, and putting her arms on her knees stayed there, all resentment she glared back. As if he had been the one in the wrong.

*He looks so tired. I really shouldn’t have come. I should just go home, things will be fine.*

She’d been in the closet for a few hours, even napped a little, although she wasn’t going to tell Henry that, then he’d want the whole fricking story. It was too much drama, and there just wasn’t enough energy to go back over it again. All the tears she had were spent and she was just tired and ready for bed.

When he’d opened the door, and his keys had hit the side table, she’d froze like a deer in headlights. Her anxiety and pulse had skyrocketed and all she’d wanted to do was freeze the planet and run out exactly the way she’d come in. But she couldn’t. 

She was trapped. 

With him.

Her lovely friend, the nicest guy in the world, who she’d managed to piss off forever. 

Her ex-friend. Former friend.

Who thought she was trash and not worthy of his time or energy.

Shit.

==

*She looks so tired. I wonder what happened to bring her here.*

“Soph,” he said as he took off his tie and hung it from the door handle. “Can you at least move to the other side of the closet so I can hang up my clothes?” Slowly reaching above her slouched frame he pointed to the empty rod above her. 

She glanced up and slowly scooching over on her bottom, slid across the width of the closet. Already she was missing the warmth, itchy though they were, of the woolens. The summer section was not as comforting.

Henry’s footfalls faded as he ate up the space to the front door. The slick, slippery, dress coats and suits were awkward to manage as he returned to his bedroom. Passing his bureau he downed the rest of his drink and made a deal with himself. He would give her the time it took him to shower to tell him what was going on and then she was out. O. U. T. Out.

Sophie heard the cubes rattle as he finished his drink and watched him as he glanced at her new spot in the closet and then hung up the clean clothes.

“You really should take those out of the bags, you know”, she started. “They need to off-gas outside for at least two hours…”

“Stop.” Henry commanded as he held out a hand. Pulling up his trouser legs and crouching down in front of her he quietly waited for her to make eye contact.

“You have twenty minutes to decide to tell me what brought you here or I’m going to make you leave.”

“What?!” Sophie gasped.

“You heard me. I will give you some time to get yourself together, tell me what is so urgent you needed to trespass to get my attention, and then you’re on your way. Got it?”

“Yes”, she reluctantly said. 

“Good” Henry said, as he stood back up brushing off his slacks. “Now get out of my closet, I need to change.”

\---


	2. the push

He immediately turned his back to her and started unbuttoning his lovely blue cotton dress shirt, his unused pocket square hastily thrown on top of the bureau. Undoing his cufflinks Henry walked a foot or two forward to place them on the tray on his dresser. Sophie was pulling herself up in the corner, staring diligently at her feet, and starting to skirt the far wall, while avoiding looking directly at him. He could see the top of her head, out of the corner of his eye, bobbing below the hangers; past his summer-weight shirts, linen suits, and then past his left shoulder. As he loosened his belt and unbuckled it, Henry felt her stop almost directly behind him for a moment, but as he shucked his pants off and threw the dirty things into the hamper she had fled. Hanging up his belt he sighed, grabbed some clean running pants and a t-shirt, and went to shower.

All the tension of his past week and stressful business deals dissolved down the drain with the dirty water. Heat and pressure from the blasting shower head helped to give him some of the oblivion he was seeking. Soaping up his curls and adding a drop of conditioner he washed work and its stresses out of his hair. As the room got steamier he found himself relaxing to a degree that he didn’t remember for a while. Not really worrying or stressing about anything could be nice, couldn’t it?

Stepping out into the warm room, wiping condensation off the mirror, he toweled off quickly. Changed his clothes, and dried his hair. Running a comb through it wouldn’t do much to tame the craziness it could be, however maybe the conditioner would help. It couldn’t hurt at any road.

The last time Sophie had been in this apartment with him, alone, things hadn’t ended well. His shoulders started to tense and the creeping anxiety started to get back into his muscles as he wondered what trouble she could be causing out there. Taking a deep breath, and reminding himself to count to 10, or 100, or 1000 if he needed to, he strode out of the bathroom trying to feel equal to any situation she might throw at him.

==  
Sophie heard Henry’s belt clink, although she hadn’t heard that dreaded hissssss of leather against fabric, yet, and she froze for a second. *Damn it! I’m trying to get past that reaction to him. Maybe he didn’t notice? Keep it natural* 

She quietly skittered past him, glad that she had kept her squeak internalized. *way to go, keep it up!*

Fumbling for a minute as Henry closed the bathroom door Sophie curled up on one edge of his dark grey suede sofa. She tried to bring her knees to her chest again, but it was too hard on the furniture, it must have been built by angels, or elves, it was the most comfortable sofa she’d ever sat on.

Biting her lower lip while keeping in mind Henry’s stern warning to her, she tried to cobble together her predicament in a somewhat liner fashion. Boy she liked. Boy asked her out. Date went o.k. Second date seemed a little odd. End of the last date went badly. That seemed cut-and-dried enough for her.

Ivan had been a professor at the local university, whom she had spoken with at a coffee shop when she hadn’t yet gotten the internet at her apartment. He had seemed nice enough so she’d accepted a date with him. The first date had been fine, a half-hour of coffee and informative conversation, and with enough of a spark that she hadn’t felt too offended when he asked her back to his place for some wine. It went without saying that she said no, but thought perhaps it had been a bit of a cultural misunderstanding, and gave him the benefit of the doubt.

Date number two, a few evenings later, from the start had a much different feel to it. They met at a local chain restaurant and although he seemed cordial there was a sense of rushing through the date that left Sophie feeling a bit stunned. What was he in such a hurry for? Had she done something wrong? Was he not interested in her?  


That was not the case. He again, requested she go home with him, she said ‘no, it was too early’ (meaning in the relationship) and he might have been thinking too early in the evening. Sophie proposed a walk, thinking they could talk some more, and as they came to a restaurant she popped in to use the bathroom, and when she exited Ivan was nowhere to be seen. Feeling ditched, upset and insulted, she started walking back to her place when he appeared out of nowhere.

They walked back to the street with a little more spring in their step, Sophie lying through her teeth about how much she enjoyed the date. By the time they’d made it meetup point Ivan again asked her home, and she said no. But he wouldn’t let go of her hand. This made her alarm bells ring very loudly.

Even when she asked him to let go he wouldn’t. Sophie debated if it was worth making a scene, since there were a few people outside that could help, but tried to be calm about it first. He cajoled her into a hug and said he looked forward to seeing her a few days later, all she could think was ‘let me go’ ‘let me go’, as she quietly shook.

Ivan finally did let her go, and she walked around the block, not wanting him to find her apartment, although she could see it from the restaurant. Having noticed that he drove off in a different direction she ran between buildings to her apartment and held it together until stood on the stoop. 

Still a bit shaky from all the adrenaline she was scared of being alone in her apartment and very close to crying. Feeling stupid enough Sophie stood there for a minute fumbling with her keys until she executed an about-face and practically ran for the tube station.

Catching herself from falling down the massive escalator she scanned her Oyster card and then jumped on a train headed towards Henry’s end of town. Getting off near Sloane Square, slapping her card against the scanner, she made a beeline for his apartment as fast as her legs would carry her. Sophie rooted through her bag, hoping he hadn’t changed the locks, when selecting the right key, her momentum carried her into the room. 

It still smelled like him. But the first thing she noticed was it was dark, and quiet. The thought of going home was unbearable, so finally catching her breath she leaned against the locked door. The cool metal felt good on her over-excited frame, but not finding her friend *ex-friend, remember?* was all she could take. Sophie burst into tears as she dragged herself into the room that was as cave like and comforting as could be, since he wasn’t there to talk to.

Sniffling as she passed his dresser, she acquired a handkerchief from the pile next to his coin tray, and blew her nose. Tossing the wet, wadded up fabric into the dirty clothes hamper, she curled up on the floor and tried to calm down. After listening to her heartbeat slow, and feeling the adrenaline start to leave her system, she suddenly felt very tired. Laying out of the floor and pulling a warm coat partially over her, she only meant to close her eyes for a few minutes, but was soon asleep.

==


	3. the offense

==

Henry rounded the corner into his Living Room, he had to smile for a moment, pushing aside his worries, when he saw how Sophie had squished herself into as small a ball as possible on the sofa. Her eyes were a bit watery and redder than he remembered and he felt his heart sink quickly in his chest. Sophie’s past choices, and the argument they’d had, were a bit fresh in his mind as he crossed the room to sit by her.

Henry didn’t sit right next to her, he was worried she’d bolt for the door if he did, but he didn’t sit at the end of the couch either. One leg tucked under him as he sat facing her, halfway down the length of the couch. 

Sophie instantly felt boxed in, by his presence alone, and stood up intending to leave. She was walking past him when his hand reached up and snagged her wrist as she passed. His hand was large, solid, and firmly tethering her to this 1 sq ft section of carpet. One half of her wanted more than anything to break free, and run off, while her other half was determined to throw herself into his lap and seek comfort.

“Where do you think you are going?” came the rhetorical query, “We haven’t had a chance to talk yet.”

Sophie stared down at her captive right hand, saying nothing, and tried to twist her wrist out of his grip. Her skin started to burn as his hand clamped down a little more each rotation, but she was going nowhere fast. Using her other hand for leverage she futilely grabbed at his arm to remove it from her person. All that got her was a muttered ‘oh, no you don’t’, and before she knew it he had used her momentum against her and pulled her onto his lap. Henry’s arms were around her, holding her tightly, almost too tightly, and making sure she was completely plastered against him and couldn't move. Or do much more than wiggle.

“We've not spoken about what happened last time,” he rumbled in her ear, “and that’s before we talk about why you are in my apartment uninvited tonight. You aren’t getting away that easily young lady. Now spill.”

\---

Being spoken to Henry’s I-mean-business voice, while she was sitting on his lap made her feel like a child, Sophie hated that, but a tiny part of her relished it. That tiny part was particularly sensitive, being located directly between her legs, and her clit sat up and took notice even if the rest of her mind and body was not sure how to feel.

Last time she’d been in his apartment he’d upended her naked butt over his knee and had spanked her soundly, upon this very sofa, for stealing from him. 

Henry had walked in to her flipping through his wallet, lying all by its lonesome on his dresser, and ‘helping’ herself to a 20 Pound note. Sophie was still so embarrassed by the memory that she blushed and could feel her ears get warm. She had immediately put it back, not wanting to tell him that her apartment had been ransacked and all her cash taken, but didn’t tell him why. That alone, almost more than the borrowing-without-permission had made him furious.

“What the hell are you doing!” Henry had queried loudly as he entered the bedroom.

“Ummm, nothing?” she guessed, shoving the wallet towards the wall, wishing she hadn’t succumbed to temptation. They both knew what she’d been doing but if she didn’t admit it maybe it hadn’t happened? Ahh, but sadly, that line of logic didn’t work anywhere outside her head.

“Nothing?! How dare you go through my things, if you needed some money you could have asked for it but instead you’re stealing like a common criminal. And I thought we had more trust than that. I thought we were friends.” (oooh, that one cut)

Walking over Henry grabbed her upper arm roughly, making sure she’d put the money back into his wallet, and adding insult to future injury he counted all the money over. Twice.

“Well you aren’t as successful in theft as you could be, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let this slide.” His eyes glimmered with indignation as he towed her to the sofa. “Have you taken anything from me before?”, he asked, giving her a slight shake. Sophie stared at her bare toes and realized they’d stopped moving.

Confused, at why he’d sat down and was unbuttoning then rolling up his sleeves, she whispered a teary voiced, “No”.

“Good. I’m going to make sure you never think about doing it again either.” With that he grabbed her arm again, flipped her onto his lap, and looped his fingers into her middle belt loop. Sophie gasped as he jerked her forward until she felt like she was going to fall on her head or slide off his very high lap. Her feet and hands didn’t even touch the floor! Sophie’s blood was rushing to her ears, and making her a little dizzy when she realized why he was tucking her close to his lean frame and placed a heavy arm across her back.

“I’m going to spank you” he started when rudely interrupted by Sophie.

“Spank me?! But I’m an adult, I haven’t gotten spanked since I was a little kid!” she’d whined, trying to crane her head around to look him in the face. Gravity was making it hard on her neck to hold her head up so she gave up trying. His voice floated down from high above…

“As I was saying Miss, before I was rudely interrupted, I’m going to spank you until I feel you have truly repented. And if you were spanked it wasn’t as hard, or as often, as you needed since you seem to have forgotten social mores.”

Henry proceeded to press his left hand onto her right hip, and pull her a little closer towards him. She felt lovely and weighty on his legs but he was so angry at her in that moment. Staring down at her shapely bum he knew he’d have to make sure she remembered this lesson for a long time to come. Raising his hand high into the air he brought it down hard on her right cheek.

At first Sophie didn’t feel much other than a small rush of wind and the impact, but a few seconds later, when Henry’s hand had already moved onto the other side, and tops of her thighs, the burn started to set in. Everywhere his hand had fallen. And it stung!

“Ouch!”, her head popped up and she tried to clamp onto the edge of the sofa to do something. Roll off his lap. Slide backwards. Climb over the couch. Anything to get away, but he was too damn strong.

“Ouch is right.” He ground out. “Every time you even think about taking something that isn’t yours I want you to remember how this feels. Right. This. Minute.” These last words were punctuated by firm smacks to her sit spots and middle of her butt.

Sophie was really starting to feel it now. Her butt and thighs felt like they’d been sunburnt, hot, and a little swollen. Despite her protests Henry kept right on spanking her, ignoring her pleas, and letting his hand do the lecturing for him. Over and over he smacked her cheecks, her sit spots, and thighs, until his hand started to hurt. He paused a moment to shake it out, quietly, and could see that Sophie was lying limply across his lap. She’d taken a death-grip on a sofa cushion and was very red in the face. There weren’t any tears however, and now that he’d paused, Sophie was trying to get up. That was not to be borne.

“Oh no, Missy.” He said, pushing his hand, the left, into her back between her shoulder blades. “We aren’t finished, so don’t try to go anywhere.”

“I’m sorry.” She said, letting out the breath she’d been holding, resisting the urge to try and rub her bottom. It was awkward enough trying to inhale and exhale while trying not to yelp. “I won’t do it again, I’ve learned my lesson.”

“Ha” Henry snorted, “I don’t think you have, not yet anyway.” And without another word he lifted his left leg and helped her get her feet underneath her. Keeping a weather-eye on her, lest she should scramble for the door, he bent his head and started undoing her jean’s buttons.

“Hey!” Sophie exclaimed. “I might, might, have deserved that spanking but no way are you getting any nooky.” Partially trying to clarify the situation, and maintain some sort of control, but also trying to convince herself that while she’d love to sleep with Henry, that slippery feeling between her labia wasn’t really what she thought it was.

“I’m not interested in that.” Henry said with exasperation. “I am however taking off your pants and jeans so I can belt you on the bare.”

“What!!!!” Sophie heard this and started slapping at his hands. Henry wrestled her hands away from her waistline, where she’d grabbed onto her jeans for dear life, and holding both wrists in one hand finished unzipping her jeans. 

All Sophie felt was the shock of cold air, and a lot of embarrassment, as Henry held her hands above her head and slapped her painful, really naked butt with his huge hand. Seriously, it must have been the size of a dinner plate. 

“The only one doing the smacking here is me.” Henry lectured. “If you are ready to listen we’ll get started.”

Sophie didn’t really want him to start anything. She wanted him to stop. Heaving her bright red face up from the floor, she glared into his face where Henry was waiting patiently for her to give him eye contact.

“I don’t like you.” She lied baldly.

“That’s fine, because I don’t like you right now either.” He sighed. “I am going to give you twenty swats with my belt, one for every pound you were going to steal. Then you are going to leave and not come back until I say you can. I can’t trust you here.”

Sophie started to tear up hearing his proclamation, especially the last part. Getting smacked with a belt didn’t sound fun, but being kicked out was beyond humiliating. Trying to wipe her eyes on her shoulder, since he still held her wrists immobile, she nodded to show she understood. Raising her eyes to his was not going to happen. It just wasn’t.

“Right.” Henry said sternly. He spun her around and clamped her to his left side. Ignoring her trembling legs he reached down and undid his belt. The hiiiiissss of it coming out of his belt loops was a sound Sophie didn’t think she’d soon forget.

He hadn’t even hit her with it yet and she was scared. Henry was folding the belt in half, palming the buckle safely in his right hand, while she wondered how much it was going to hurt. When he actually slapped the leather against her butt the first thing she thought was that he’d set her on fire. His hand was bad, but this was worse.

The burning and stinging in her skin increased immediately. She could feel the welts puffing up in between blows, and the itching was painful. He lathered the whole of her bottom from the middle of her cheeks, to the supremely stingy middle thighs. He avoided aiming near her kidneys or lower thighs, and kept the swats situated where they would do the least damage and her the most good. 

After 20 strokes Sophie wasn’t trying to fight him anymore and she was practically hanging from his arm. Her feet had stopped shifting and as he tossed the belt onto the coffee table, he could hear her softly crying. Sniffling a bit, he waited her out, until her breathing seemed more controlled and less frantic. Henry held her bent over, with the cool air kissing her bum, until he felt she was ready to stand up. Sophie was wise enough to wait for him to help her, since she didn’t want to be a crying mess in front of him and was certain she’d be dizzy if she stood up too soon. Bad enough that he’d seen her bare ass, damned if she’d be even more vulnerable in front of him. 

Just as she started to think about trying to stand up, and was starting to get impatient, but didn’t dare show that to Henry, she felt something odd. His hand, which recently had been so harsh, was sliding down the side of her right hip, and Sophie hissed as it came back up her leg to the crest of her butt. It then completed the circuit on the other side. Rubbing her butt helped a little bit, and not being stupid she didn’t want to interfere, but then Henry did something she hadn’t been expecting. Henry himself wasn’t sure he’d even thought about it. It just seemed to happen of its own accord.

His hand, having felt her welts and sore spots, guaranteeing that he’d done his job thoroughly slid up the middle of her thighs and stopped just shy of her vulva. Sophie’s head whipped up as she stiffened, trying to squeeze his hand in place to keep him from finding out what she knew already. She was wet, very wet, and god forbid he find out because then she’d never live it down.

Henry’s had slid up those last few inches and cupped her carefully. He smiled to himself, quite a devilish grin, and thought about saying something but when she had tensed up he decided that it wasn’t the time or place. Sophie was being punished, finding out how her body had responded was good, but a good leader should never mix pleasure and punishment. Sighing reluctantly he slid his hand back, desperate to smell her on his skin, and was delighted with what he found. Musky, clean, and all her, Henry felt like he’d just touched the center of a battery sitting between them that they were both connected to. The pulse of energy was amazing and he was so desperate to follow it, but knew he had to stay strong. For Sophie’s sake.

“You have paid your debt to me, and you are forgiven.” He intoned, “But I can’t allow you to stay this evening. You need to go home.”

Suddenly back on her feet Sophie stumbled for a moment, putting her hand against his broad chest until she felt less like she was going to fall onto her face. Regaining her equilibrium and ‘ow-ing’ quietly to herself, her pants and jeans were tugged up back around her waist and buttoned.

Henry held out her purse and coat for her, which she shrugged into while keeping her head down, and limping to the front door she took a few tissues he handed her on the way out. It wasn’t until her feet were ironically on his ‘welcome’ mat that she realized he’d found out her secret. 

Oh, dear. 

Shuffling off down the stairs and forlornly home, hungry, tired, and terribly sad, Sophie tucked herself into bed and tried to get some sleep.


	4. the fall

You’d think being held against a firm, masculine, chest might be uncomfortable but it wasn’t really. It wasn’t as soft and pliable as the sofa, but Henry’s skin was warm, and his clothes were soft and worn enough to feel the musculature underlying his envelope of skin. Firm yet soft, hard and flexible, hmmm, that sounded like another part of him that Sophie’s mind started to drift off towards imaging until he cleared his throat again.

“So? What happened to bring you to my door again? I know you flew out of here last time like your obstinate backside was on fire, with good reason,” he added sliding a hand under her to grip a cheek and squeeze it a little. “But” ehehe “you know you deserved ever bit of what you got. What I want to know is why you came over here today, and you aren’t leaving my lap until you tell me.”

Shit. Sophie blushed as he brought up the incident she was trying so hard to not remember, thanks to him it was all she could think about. Argh!

“Could you please let me up? I’ll be happy to talk with you all about it then.” Sophie asked quietly, as she tried to squirm out from his hold, which really didn’t do anything.

“Nope. I have you right where I want you. Plus if you act in anything other than your best behavior I’ll be in a position to remedy it quite quickly.” He smiled as he put his head right onto her shoulder as he said it. “You know you really are forgiven, even if you’re still embarrassed about it. Getting your lovely arse smacked like a little kid is something that you’ll never been too old for around here, my dear.”

“Greaaaat.” She said, not a little sarcastically.

He bussed her right near her ear, his bristly chin tickling her a bit but Sophie did smile to herself and flush a bit under his attentions. Henry was too sweet with her most of the time, even if she still didn’t feel he wholly trusted her again. Telling him about this was already making her nervous though, and she’d started to tense up.

Henry felt her body change immediately and was instantly the picture of solicitation. “What’s wrong Poppet? What happened?”

“Nothing.” She stuttered, as she tried to lunge out of his arms and go for the door but he wasn’t going to have that. He tightened his grip on her while murmuring soothing noises and waited until she was settled in his arms again somewhat quietly. 

“Now then, just start at the beginning. Take as long as you need, we’re in no hurry.”

Sophie told him. Haltingly, and with a lot of hesitation what had happened. She was worried that he’d feel her fears were silly or groundless and laugh at her for being stupid. Maybe it was all in her imagination, and she should have gone with the guy to his house because she’d over-reacted like normal. What she wasn’t expecting was how he really reacted, which was the opposite of the way he had in her head.

“So you’re telling me he didn’t listen when you told him “No.” and then kept trying to convince you to go home with him?! That @#$@#$ doesn’t know that “No” is a one-word conversation!!” Henry said this as he lifted up her arms, one at a time, inspecting them for marks that might be lingering. One of her wrists was slightly discolored and bruised a tiny bit. He brought that one to his mouth and kissed it as she tried desperately not to start crying again. 

Sophie hated crying in front of other people, she wasn’t embarrassed of crying in general but she wasn’t a pretty crier. Her eyes and nose got all red, her face got swollen, and she got a headache, it was just a messy situation. Henry didn’t seem to mind though, when he’d finished with her wrist he’d turned her sideways so she was leaning against him, and she placed her head on his shoulder. Calming down a bit, and sniffling a lot, as she opened her eyes and reached for a tissue he kissed her forehead.

“Are you sure you’re really o.k.?” He asked, concerned maybe there was something she wasn’t saying. 

“I’m fine”, she said, “just shaken up.” As she blew her nose and tucked the icky tissues into her back jeans pocket, Sophie laid her head back onto Henry’s chest and listened to his heart beat for a bit as he held her. He was so comfortable, and safe, she’d missed this. 

Henry seemed to sense the same mood since he slid his arms back around her and interlocked them under her left ribs. Sophie snuggled a bit more into his chest. They’d sat there companionably for a while, and she’d nearly fallen asleep when he spoke, halfway waking her up.

“Not all guys are jerks you know.”

“Hmmm…Of course I know that. You aren’t.” She’d murmured happily and as her eyes slid shut all of a sudden she felt something warm being pressed up against her mouth. It took her a half a second to figure out that it was Henry’s mouth.

Wait a minute. Did Henry just kiss her? On the lips?

Why yes, yes he did. Oh, wait. He was doing it again!

And with that thought Sophie’s brain shut off and her body started to respond. She was still tired so she wasn’t in top form but she more than met Henry halfway and kissed him back. Lips pressing fervently, Sophie quickly switched to sitting astride his lap so that she was more comfortable and neither of them would strain their necks for however long they were doing this.  
After a few minutes both of them started to get more comfortable, and more aroused, the kisses got deeper and wetter. Clothing started to be unbuttoned and loosened. All of a sudden the air in the room was too warm, and too still. Their pulses started to race.

At the same time they broke a kiss, smiled at each other and reached for the others' shirt.


	5. kisses

Henry’s hand slid down Sophie’s neck wrapping around the front and cupped her pulse in his palm. He caressed her swan-like neck as he started flicking open her buttons one by one on her shirt.

His lips were warm and moist on her skin, the shiver that went through her couldn't all be attributed to the cooler air in the room. As his hands undid the line of buttons Henry kissed the length of her sternum from her collarbones to navel. Sophie reached a hand down to stop him, since she had some scars she wasn't fond of, and carried all her extra weight in her belly, but Henry refused to be stayed in his course.

“No, darling”, he murmured, wrapping his hand around her wrist and placing it over her head on the sofa. “Be good and keep your hands where I put them, or else you’ll be punished.” Her other hand he put by its fellow on the blanket that had puddled from the back of the sofa.

Oooh, that tone went straight to her pussy; his single lick back up her torso, from her navel, past her breasts, over the hollow of her throat, over her chin, ending in a deep, slow, wet kiss distracted her. Panting beneath him, her shirt open, bra and jeans still on, all Sophie could think was that she wanted all their skin to touch. Now! Knowing that his spankings hurt was a deterrent but not enough since she brought her hands back down to Henry’s head, grasped his curls tightly and brought his mouth back to hers.

Henry had been going to warn her, he really had, but before he could say anything Soph’s small raspberry mouth had pulled him back in. Their tongues were sliding around each other and both of them were panting like they had just ran a race. He was still going to spank her for it, but as the blood started to rush to his cock, and his balls got heavy, he decided it could wait, for once.

Sophie’s hand crept up to Henry’s shirt and started to slip the buttons through their holes. It was hard to reach all of them with him panting and moving above her, and when she finally got the garment opened, she had to shove him to each side to get the shirt off. His pale, slender chest was lovely to behold. He had enough definition to not be skinny, and made her think of Greek statues, but had enough lean muscle that he wasn't bulked up.

Her hands curled over his shoulders and she felt him shudder as they caressed his back and pulled him close. Henry tipped his head to the side of hers so he could mouth her earlobe and whispered, as Dom-ly as ever, 

“It’s a good thing we’re a bit busy right now Dearest, because you are going to be sitting gingerly for a while. I’m beginning to think that you come here just to get a dose of what you so desperately need.”

The moan that Sophie let out was downright embarrassing. Even while she blushed and her ears felt hot, her legs opened of their own accord and clutched Henry to her even tighter. Sophie’s squirming was making Henry light-headed so he decided, as a gentleman of honor, it was time to get down to business as it were, and help her cum as many times as possible.

“Keep your eyes closed and just enjoy these sensations Sophie.” He said, peppering her face with kisses. Gossamer soft at first, firmer, wetter ones as he went down her chest. Henry’s lightly touching fingers released her breasts from their cups before she knew it and he cupped both of them in his big hands. Laving them with kisses, love bites, and suckling on the tips, she enjoyed the attentions enough that her naughty hands had crept back up to her waistline to slide into her panties. Feeling this before he saw it, as his attention was elsewhere, Henry glanced down, and stopped, tsked at Sophie for her bad behavior, and then carefully sitting her up he made short work of her bra, flinging it over his shoulder, and bound her hands behind her back with her shirt.

Even with her eyes closed Sophie pouted. But once Henry laid her back down, making sure she was comfortable enough, and started manipulating her breasts again, all she could think about was how tortuously good it felt. She whimpered, and tried to push even more of her breast into his warm, wet, mouth. The suction on her nibs felt almost too much and the way he would squeeze them, and roll them in his hands, aaaahh, it was delicious. Unconsciously she tried to hump his leg from below, seeking any friction she could, but even with all the moisture collecting in her panties, it wasn't enough. Henry’s gloriously long legs and muscular thighs, although they were straddling hers, were just enough below her cunny that she couldn’t get any purchase, and at the moment he wasn’t letting her. She was feeling frustration galore!


	6. beginnings

Keeping one hand on her breast, he rose, hoping some blood would make it to his brain so he didn’t faint on her, and enjoyed the view. Sophia was squirming around, trying to find some friction to press her pulsing crotch too, and he decided it was time to pull out all the stops. Not giving her a choice he reached down, unbuttoned her fly, slide down the zipper tab, and practically ripped off her panties and jeans.

“Henry!” Sophie, gasped. Trying, unsuccessfully, to bring her knees up to cover her belly and pubic area. “What are you doing?”

“Dearest, since you were trying your best to hump my leg, I thought I’d help you along.” Henry said with a twinkle in his eye, if not necessarily on his face, trying to keep up the stern Dom for a moment. “Won’t it be better to touch me instead of having fabric between us?”

YES!, her brain thought. “No!” she said, while unconsciously nodding.

“Liars get spanked Sophie.” He smugly remarked, grabbing her ankles, hauling them up over her waist, along with her lower half of her body, and then crisply smacked her bottom until it was a pretty bright shade of pink. Settling her bottom back on the cushion he burrowed himself in front of her pussy and resolved to make himself comfortable, for the next two or three orgasms at least.

As Sophie was sniffling and pink from the smacking it took her a minute to realize that Henry had arranged her splayed fairly wide for his inspection. Moments after that, she become embarrassed, and tried unsuccessfully to squirm away, he causally hooked an arm over each thigh and drew himself even more closely to where she didn’t want him to be.

It wasn’t that she objected to oral sex for other people, or that she minded performing it for guys, but after one drunk guy made a joke about her labia looking like raw meat she just couldn’t stand anyone spending time there. Sex was fine, although it still wasn’t her favorite activity, but all the stuff that went with it was gravy. 

Henry looked up immediately as soon as he’d started to kiss his way up her left leg. The higher he went the more he could feel her tense up. 

“Baby?”

Silence. Her eyes were shut tight, and she seemed more ready for torture, than something pleasurable. Well that just wouldn’t do. He slowly unwound his arms, and slid his naked torso up hers, ending with his head in the crook of her shoulder. Laying on his side he slid her weight onto his chest, and flipping them like an egg, he rolled carefully onto his back, grabbing the blanket on the way.

Covering both of them he tucked her legs between his, one hand stroking her arms and back, and the other cradling her head and neck to his chest. Henry hoped his warmth, and slow heartbeat would help her to relax a little so she could talk.

“Sophie what is it? I can’t have you scared of me.” He urged.

“I’m not scared of you, it’s just, it’s embarrassing…” She mumbled, not wanting to tell him. Sophie was afraid he’d laugh or secretly agree, not that she should care what he thought really, but was worried all the same.

“I don’t think I’ll be shocked, I have three brothers you know.” He smiled a little as he said it, “And you can’t stay quiet forever, you’ll have to use your words sometime, I have ways of making you talk.” He growled quietly into her ear as his hand that had been stroking her back, slid down to her bottom and rather like a metronome began to pat in a little more than playful fashion.  
Forgetting her hands were still bound, but not that her bum was still sore, Sophie said “No!” and tried to throw her hands back twisting and arching into the most glorious positions Henry had seen in a while. His hands flew up of their own accord and caught her before she landed back on his chest, she still semi-bowed away from him; when her head dropped down, and she opened her eyes, she was staring directly into his. Pupils blown widely, nostrils flared, and mouth open for a kiss that would devour her whole.

Henry pulled her further up his body while their mouths were locked together, and let her find some purchase on him for the minute. He could feel her wetness on his stomach, and their lips and tongues tangled together over and over. They were both a bit light headed when he pulled away and grabbing Sophie’s hair, he twisted her head away from him, so he could whisper in her ear, “If you didn’t like this Dove, you wouldn’t be nearly so wet by now. If you want to continue, you have to tell me why you froze up.”

He could hear Sophie’s gasps for air and holding her in place he slipped his other hand down her body until he came to her wet, warm, cleft and held her in his palm. Just holding her caused him to feel like he was going to go off in his pants, let alone feel how wet she was. Henry slide a few fingers around her vulva, enjoying the slick warmth, and then carefully slipped a few into her. 

Sophie’s head was already thrown back, eyes shut, with none of the reticence displayed that she’d shown before. And Henry watched carefully as he stroked her a few times for good measure. Withdrawing his hand brought a mewl of disappointment from the darling in front of him, however trying to keep her eye contact as he licked his fingers seemed to bring the opposite reaction. 

“What was that look for?”

“What look?” Sophie gave him her best ‘doe-in-headlights’ impression.

“When I was cleaning you off my fingers? Did you not enjoy what I was doing to you?”

She sighed, as he laid her back down on the sofa again, in much the same position she’d been in earlier. Sophie’s legs akimbo on either side of Henry’s body, he tucked between them, and his face waaaaay to close to her vulva for her comfort. 

“It felt good, I just…it’s just…it’s gross.”

“What is? My wanting to put my mouth on you, or that you like it when I do?” Henry queried as he lavished her thighs and belly with kisses. He wanted her to get used to his mouth on her, everywhere, but especially this area. 

“I don’t know both.”

“That’s too bad Darling. Because I love doing this, and you’ll have to get used to it. But why did you freeze up instead of telling me this earlier?”

“It was what I was thinking of…”

Kiss, kiss. “Oh?” Henry was paying acute attention but didn’t want to scare Sophie by having her think he was paying a lot of attention and making her too nervous to speak.

“This one guy I dated, we were…well, anyway, he was drunk and said my flaps looked like raw meat…”. If she had had an arm free she would have covered her eyes, and with how hot Sophie’s cheeks were, on her face, she knew she was blushing beet red.

Henry actually stopped what he was doing, propped his chin on her pubic mound, and said quite seriously, “Sophia, look at me.”

Sophie lifted her head, and it took a few seconds for her to open her eyes, but she did it.

Henry’s blue eyes, and red halo blazed back at her from the length of her stomach. She could feel his warm breath on her tummy. 

“He was wrong, and a drunken idiot. Every woman is different and I think you…”, here he pulled away and took a good long look at her. Sophie jumped when she felt the cooler air on her genitals and his firm hands separating her labia from each other. Henry’s warm tongue very slyly helping them stay to each side of her vulva. “…look delicious.” With a devious grin he literately licked his lips, and dove in.

Sophia squeaked in surprise at how warm his mouth was. The slipperiness and slight beard-burn was a good contrast for how wet and disjointed she felt. ‘Henry is too good at this!’ was her semi-disgruntled thought. She wanted to be able to discourage him enough they could get the sex over with and move on to being just friends again, but this felt really good. Enough that she was having trouble, think, ing, rationally. Oh!

Henry lifted his head, smiled to himself, and lowered his head for round two, deciding to see how sensitive she was to G-spot stimulation.


	7. comings

It was the warmth and closeness he enjoyed in helping a woman get off this way, and the aural accompaniment didn’t hurt either. Seeing Sophia writhe, and close her eyes to concentrate on her own pleasure, was one of the best sights he’d ever had the pleasure of witnessing. 

His long fingers slid deeply into her and caressed her inner walls with his primary and secondary fingers. Mouthing her pussy he kept moving his fingers, stroking the swelling G-spot faster as she neared her peak. His tongue rolling like he was licking an ice-cream, using the width of the organ, and sliding towards just the tip, flicking her clit as the clenching of her muscles became faster. Sophie’s quivering thighs tried to close around his body as she got closer to her orgasm, but they were held apart by Henry’s solid shoulders and sturdy left arm, wedged between her legs. She couldn’t have moved him with anything short of a very long lever, and Archimedes had been dead at least a thousand years. 

Bucking and circling her hips Sophie came with such force she thought her heart might stop. Crying out with the force of it, her breathing slowly returned to normal. Her eyes remained closed and she floated on a cushion of afterglow. Henry was able to remove his hands from her, and wipe his mouth, before she’d really noticed he’d stopped.

Sophie had not opened her eyes yet before gossamer kisses were tickling along her hairline and brow. A slow smile spread over her face and she hummed to herself quietly when he felt Henry laugh quietly to himself. 

“Well dearest, you seemed to enjoy that more than you thought you might.” 

“Mmmhmm.” She murmured, as those kisses covered her eyelids, since she was still love-drunk and couldn’t move much.

“Still feeling alright?” He inquired, checking her over. She was probably flying quite high at the moment but he didn’t want her to go to sleep yet, and his hard-on, although it had flagged, was coming raging back. “Squeeze this so I know your hands are o.k.”

“hmm?”

“Sophia.”

Did she really have to do something now? Ugh, it was so hard to move. She opened her eyes and sleepily blinked into the back of the couch, and could feel his hands checking her bindings. She felt his fingers slide underneath her twisted shirt to make sure she had blood flow, and then her hands were full of something warm, soft, and hard. What in the world…? Oh! Oh, dear… Henry probably had a shit-eating grin on his face at this moment, and as Sophie twisted to try and see over her shoulder, Henry’s warm, heavy, loose hand came down and covered her eyes. 

“Darlin’”, he whispered in her ear, “you are going to come so hard on my cock you’ll see stars but I need some help first.”

“Help!” she mumbled into the couch, “what help? You’re already pretty stiff to me.”

“Ahhh, but that’s where I need the help Soph. I need to get limbered up before I get ready for my workout, don’t you think?” And with that cheeky smile Henry took her earlobe into his mouth and kissed up and down her neck. His endowed cock slid in and out of her bound hands, enjoying the pressure even though there wasn’t much friction. It was such a dichotomy, soft and hard at the same time, and barely fitting into her small hands, she knew he spilled over them entirely when he was erect.

Henry closed his eyes and reveled in the feeling. Rocking his cock into her hands he could feel Sophie’s body giving into the couch with each thrust. He could still taste her on his lips, and smell her on his skin. He was enjoying the hand-job but it was no comparison to the heavenly feeling she would be when they finally coupled.

Abruptly, letting out a shuttering gasp, Henry withdrew from Sophie’s hands, and undid the binding. Chaffing her wrists and hands briskly he rebound them, over her head, and lay her down onto the sofa, flat on her back.

Sophie had watched all this with a half-wary/half-asleep look in her eye and decided that Henry wasn’t really going to hurt her, plus whatever he’d done with his mouth was positively sinful, and she really did want to see how much of him she could take. Nervous, sure; scared, no.

Framing her face with his hand, his other large one took hold of her binding and weighed her wrists down onto sofa. It didn’t hurt but she felt as secure and pinned as much as a specimen under glass. While Henry stretched over her, he looked down and smiled so serenely that it took Sophie’s breath away and she felt as if time had, just for a moment, stopped.

Henry thought she looked so lovely and trusting there, he didn’t want to break the spell. She was his own proud damsel, his to adore, worship, protect, chastise, or comfort. He wanted to do this properly.  
Henry’s right hand skipped over the length of his own body until he gripped the base of his own cock, standing proudly upright. Using just the tip of it, it seemed to have found its own way to Sophie’s cunny, warm, welcome, and waiting just for him. They both gasped together when such intimate flesh made contact, Sophie moaning and trying to stretch out her hips a little further. Henry biting back the impulse to thrust himself in completely at once, and start rutting away.

He slid the head of his cock up and down her wet slit, stimulating them, but also enjoying how perfect they felt together. Sophie was wet enough they wouldn't have to stop and go hunting for extra lube, an irritating and embarrassing process if there ever was one. Nudging her labial folds aside he slid into her vagina, just the entrance, and waited.

 _'Why was he stopping?!?!'_ Sophie wondered, as her libido skipped a moment. She opened her eyes and looked into his, gasping a bit as she adjusted around Henry's girth. Breathing into his mouth, with his lips a milimeter from her own, Henry instructed her to tell him if she really wanted to do this. There was only one chance to do so, and if she didn't say so now, there would be no turning back. Looking dead into his eyes, she nodded, quirked a small smile, and met his lips with hers.


	8. pride

As they kissed he slowly slid inside of her tight pussy. He almost stopped when he felt how constricted he was, to ask if she really was ok with this, but then Henry felt her heels pressing into the curve under his butt and he kept gliding into her until he bottomed out. For Sophie’s part the anticipation had made her anxiously tighten up all her muscles, so that his penetrating cock felt twice the size it really was. 

Being penetrated felt like deep pressure to Sophie, doubly so when it came to Henry’s girth. Once he slid in a bit further and she could relax and breathe a bit is when it started feeling good.

As Henry started rocking his hips she gloried in the view of his long slim neck, and chiseled chin. If her hands could have reached his arse she would have squeezed it, but settled on his shoulders instead. His arms slid under her torso, one under her lower back, and one big hand between her shoulder blades.

Henry’s head dipped down to suckle a nipple into his mouth, while he growled to her, “Dearest, touch yourself please, I want to see you make yourself cum on my cock.”  
Sophie blushed as she felt his mouth slid up her neck and lick circles on it before returning to her other breast. Her hand slipped as far down his satin skin as it could before she dragged it between them through the thicket of her pubic hair.

Henry’s thrust grew stronger and more rapid as she pressed down and circled her clit while moving her hips to meet his. The slapping of their wet skin sounded obscene to her but she didn’t care, they were both so close!

She opened her eyes and momentarily found Henry’s as he brought his forehead down, laid his left cheek alongside hers, and whispered sweet nothings in her ear. It was in that moment that Sophie could feel all her muscles tighten. The pressure from Henry’s thrusting and snapping hips, and his big cock in her pussy, amplified when his hand covered hers and added a little extra stimulation she didn’t know she was missing.

Sophie felt she couldn’t breathe as she felt her internal muscles flutter and twitch around Henry’s penis deep inside her. He coaxed her along, taking over for her when her hand slid away from her body, and helped her find a second, and third orgasm she hadn’t known she was missing.

As she lay their boneless and utterly relaxed Henry gathered her so tightly to his chest and pumped his hips thrice more and was finished himself. He came with so loud a shout she thought his leonine hair suited him well, and she giggled.

Gasping for breath Henry slid to her side, also quite boneless, and slid her into his arms. Peppering he face with kisses he asked, “Well, now Dove. I hope you weren’t laughing at me? I thought that was a fairly mind-blowing experience.”

“It was very nice.” She said, trying to stifle her giggling a bit, realizing belatedly that laughing after sex might not make the guy feel very good about his performance. “I just thought that you sounded a bit like a lion roaring towards the end.”

Henry laughed as well. “Ah. While lion I may be, you’re all the pride I need.”

Cuddled and satiated Henry’s hand dipped over the edge of the couch, found the rumpled blanket, and covered them. For the rest of that afternoon they slept.


	9. Bad Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken me forever to add on, I've had a horrible migraine-filled summer and wished I had a boyfriend like this, so a sort of caretaking chapter.

Several weeks later, while wishing the train would crash and end her insane migraine, Sophie heard a ‘ping’ from her mobile. It was such an innocuous sound. Instead of a cheerful ‘ping’ like a lift bell, she felt it should be a more sober ‘bonging’ type of sound. Having a feeling that it was Henry checking up on her she felt it really should be saying; ‘I know where you should be, answer me immediately or there will be consequences’, one eye cracked open and she checked out the text.

H: Doll, I’m getting us dinner. Is Chinese good?  
S: Migraine. Don’t feel well, stay home.   
H: Sorry you don’t feel well Dear, coming over anyway. Bringing soup.  
S: No, really, stay home.

(Five minutes later)

S: What kind of soup?

Her traitorous stomach decided the idea of food sounded good, although she was still nauseated. Ugh. Luckily it was her stop to get off and away from the crush of people, florescent lights, and noise.  
Climbing up the steps to the dusky streets was hard but least at the top she could rest a minute by the kerb. The joy of being near tea-time meant that everyone had started to clear out and her neighborhood was getting quiet, bordering on still. Sophie sat on the less-grimy windowsill of her favorite bookshop and tipped the right side of her head against the bricks. They held the warm of the day’s sunshine and while the weather wasn’t getting cold it was starting to have a nip of Fall in the air.

She could have sat there for weeks, hours, or a few minutes; she had no idea, time had ceased to exist through the malaise of pain. Her phone had ‘pinged’ a few more times and then gone silent, she was damned if she was going to answer it. Never moving again felt like a great idea. All her energy had been drained through her shoes to feed the earth and she was never moving again. Until she had to pee in some far off future.

“Excuse me madam.” A chocolatey baritone said, as she felt a warm presence pressed against her left side while he settled against her. She could smell his cologne very faintly, aww, he’d washed it off…that was sweet. “I think you’re missing our dinner date.”

“Don’t care”, Sophie mumbled, as she tried to breathe without slipping off the tiny ledge.

“That’s not very kind to the soup, little madam. You’ll feel better home in your pyjamas with me as your pillow. Come on let’s get you up.” Henry stood and placing a hand between Sophie’s head and the window frame, made sure she didn’t scrape her face as he helped her up. It was like playing dolls with dead weight but once he had an arm around her waist, and her head learning on him, he could steer her most of the way home. Going up the stairs, by piggyback, was a new adventure for them both, but one that Sophie, even half-awake, decided she could get used to. Henry considered it was good cardio but one saved for special occasions.

Having reached the fourth floor he opened the door to her studio flat Henry lumbered in and very carefully helped Sophie onto one of her loveseats. Once he’d helped her lay down on the couch, with a trash can in easy reach, he started to remove her shoes. Work clothes next, and underthings last.

Feeling like a particularly good lad, Henry bypassed touching anything of particular interest just then, knowing Sophie wasn’t feeling well, covered her with a warm wool throw and reached over to her shelf. Books, games, and clothes all found space on Sophie’s bookshelf and as a minimalist she really didn’t need much. It wasn’t until recently though that Henry had discovered how much she didn’t have, but whether that was by her own choice or not he hadn’t found out yet.

Grabbing her warmest flannel nightshirt and wool socks he quickly redressed Sophie and arranged her on her right side, giving her a few minutes to rub her back and temples. He hated seeing her with these headaches, and she’d had them as long as he’d known her, but at least she was starting to let him help her a bit.

Henry’s knees popped as he stretched and headed for her ‘kitchen’, a counter against the wall, with a hotplate, small fridge, and sink, and washer. He poured some of the Wonton broth into a small cup and added an Almond cookie to it. Grabbing a box of noodles for himself he wandered back over to the sofa and helped Sophie sit up. He eased himself under her head and turned on P&P ‘04. Henry always griped about watching it, and Sophie scoffed that he liked it, and he smiled quietly to himself that she was right.

Sitting up a little bit, with hot soup under her nose, Sophie sipped on a teaspoon of the broth at a time. Watching the movie was like looking at a painting and was easy on both her senses and her head on days like today. After a little of the food, she nibbled on the cookie, and feeling a bit more human, raised her eyes a bit more towards Henry and said “Thanks for rescuing me.”

His hand came down and stroked her hair a few times, without saying anything, and quietly tapped the side of her cup. Following unspoken orders she took a few more sips, and put the cup on her trunk-cum-coffee table. Henry pulled out her phone and noted the day in her Migraine Buddy app, and then placed the phone on the arm of the sofa, while his other hand slide down her spine, relaxing her further.

“Always my pleasure my dear.” His hand casually fondled her bum, but not too much since he did want her to get her sleep. Sophie burrowed her head into his lap trying to get away from the pain which had waned a little, but not nearly enough for her to feel better. She also heard the telltale sound of a crinkling wrapper that she hated.

“No! Henry please don’t, I haven’t thrown up at all today.” She pleaded, pouting up at him from her sideways view of him, craning her neck to see his face.

“You know it’ll help you sleep, besides, it’ll keep you from throwing up what you just ate, and when you wake you’ll feel better. What’s the point of filling the script if you never use them?” With that said, he tightened his hand around her right arm and slid her stiffening body further over his lap. Flipping up her nightshirt he parted her bottom, and snapping on a glove he’d hidden in his back pocket (damn, he’d looked under her sink, cheater!) the barbiturate suppository was quickly, uncompromisingly, slid home. 

Sophie tried to protest, whinging, and kicking her feet a little, but only got a sharply smacked bum for her trouble. Henry’s index finger firmly in her tight arse he slid her back to where she had been quietly resting before as if nothing had changed.

“Please Henry.” She trembled. “Take it out. It burns.” Sophie pushed her face against his leg panting, as she worked on not pushing against the invaders. His other, free, hand covered her eyes, stroked her temples, and encouraged to sleep. One hand cupped her vulva and bottom from behind, adding just a bit of pleasant pressure to her nervous system. Ignoring her demands he put her other hand on his stomach and they breathed together for a while. As she started getting sleepier, and Henry could see her pain easing (he hoped), he removed his finger knowing the medicine had melted entirely. Clenching his fist he flipped the glove inside out and snapped it off his wrist.

Sophie felt herself moving, and was feeling very drowsy, but when she opened her eyes, she seemed to still be on the sofa. Henry’s breathing was comforting and he was warm and smelled like soap. Her insides still burned painfully but she didn’t care about that too much, since she was too sleepy. Blue-green eyes glanced down at her, and crinkled as he said, “Go to sleep Baby, I’ll be right here.”

Opening her mouth to acknowledge his comment ended in a yawn, and she fell asleep listening to the steady thrum of his heartbeat, while Elizabeth and Darcy had the most eloquent argument known to literature onscreen.


	10. leaky tap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a minor drabble to get me writing again, an interlude chapter if you will

Henry felt her body soften, seeing the pain leaving her face as she drifted off. He kept her where she was for a while, until his arm started to go numb, and then carefully, gracefully, slid out from under her. 

He could hear the dulcet piano tune in the background while he stalked about the apartment wanting to keep busy while he could. The leaky tap drove him crazy, so he stripped off to his undershirt and boxers, grabbing her tool-kit from the inside of the pantry, he set to fixing it.

Sophie woke feeling the cool fabric under her cheek hearing a faint, ‘tap, tap’ noise coming from the kitchen sink. “Oh fuck, I hope it hasn’t broken again”, she thought groggily. Another flood was not what she needed right now, and she wasn’t, ever, calling the creepy guy that maintained the building again. Once was more than enough, especially since her kitchen was disappearing piecemeal over the years she lived there. A spaghetti spoon, one spatula, a few forks, it was very frustrating. 

Her bottom still burned from the medicine so she stumbled her way to the toilet and washed up, forgetting how loud the stupid fluorescent lights were, the partially burned out bulb was helpful, but it was awkward testing gravity while trying to wash her hands and face. Shuffling out of the washroom she saw Henry’s long, naked, legs reaching across her whole Lino floor and onto the brown, endlessly stained carpet of questionable origin.

“What in the world are you doing?”, she queried.

“Fixing your faucet”, he said, although it was muffled from under the cupboard. “Why you haven’t called the maintenance bloke is beyond me. This bolt is so rusted I’m worried to pull too hard.” Henry’s face was half-shadowed as he scooted out from under the counter.

“How are you feeling? Is your head a bit better?”, asking hopefully while feeling her head for a fever, which she didn’t have, his other hand snaked about her waist pulling her close. Sophie’s frown worried him, more than her rolling eyes, which he would have dealt with promptly if she was more herself.

“Yes, thank you. But I wish you didn’t make me use those drugs. I’m still burning”, she grumbled as she leaned into his warmth. 

“Do you want to be hotter in a minute?”, his warning tone creeping in. He’d be dammed if she was going to wallow in agony while he could help prevent it, or try to prevent it, even if the source of relief was uncomfortable.

“Noooo”, peeping out from his chest she reburied her head into his stomach. “Thanks for helping me when I felt so poorly. It was kind of you.” Sophie started to drag him down to lie on the floor, but he helped walk her back to the sofa and cocooned her in the throw. Clicking his tongue at her got her to release his shirt so she could collapse again until she felt more up to getting around.


End file.
